Christmas 2012

This was the first time in my married life that I've been "home" for Christmas. It was so exciting waking up at our own home and sitting in our own living room on Christmas morning opening presents. It was extra special since Parker was excited by Christmas this year. He was in awe by the train table that awaited him by the Christmas tree. And the other stocking stuffers that were laid out also got half a glance.

 Austin enjoyed crawling amidst the toys and wrapping paper!

 My parents and grandparents came over to partake in the fun! It was fun sharing that time with them.

 Papa made his pancakes with Parker.

 ...and Austin!

We were supposed to head to Denise's later in the afternoon but the stomach flu had hit their house so we decided to stay away. I think that was a good choice, because one by one all her kids were dropping like flies. Poor kids! And poor Denise! 

We got to Skype with Pete's brother Dan who is on his mission in Washington. Dan has lost over 100 pounds since last April and he looks great and seems so happy. It was awesome being able to see him. 

Other than the normal Christmas-y stuff, we did a lot of block building. Parker's new castle blocks are amazing. 

 Austin was one of my very favorite gifts.

 Loved spending time with my brother Jeff who was in from San Fran. Here we are getting pho.

 Parker... sporting his new puppy hat.

 A new Buzz Lightyear blanket.

 Home Alone anyone? AHHHHHHH!!!!!!

We had a wonderful Christmas nad hope you did too!

We had a very Merry Christmas. 

Kids Sing

Here are a few cute pictures of our kids performing at a Christmas in the Park event a few weeks ago. They were so cute. The little ones in red shirts are our preschool Wee Sing group and then the older kids are K-3.

 My little fam and my friend Pernel and her baby Olin.

 A big group of friends that came to support. Thanks guys!

 Parker checking out the amazing train display!

Christmas Eve in two parts

Merry Christmas to you all. I hope your day was extra special. We had a very busy Christmas Eve. The dahlquists have a fun tradition of doing an amusement park on Christmas Eve morning, and this year was Legoland. Thanks to Bob and Kari for the three month passes. We look forward to going again. It was pouring rain as we were driving there, but thankfully it cleared up fairly quickly once we got there. It ended up being a really nice day. 

Parker loved seeing everything. He'd been once before, but we saw and did some new things this time. 

 This is a musical fountain, where you stand on some pads it makes music notes.

Everyone was getting in on the action... I especially enjoyed Grandpa Bob jumping around!

Parker always talks about wanting to ride a roller coaster. Well, they happened to have one he was just tall enough for, that was pretty intense for  a guy his size. He went on it with Pete and loved it. Can you spot him with his hands up? 

 Calvin and Clare driving. It's so cute how they give the kids a drivers license.

 Parker and Lex are the best of friends. So sweet.

 The whole crew. We were quite a group. It was fun being able to break off so the older kids could do bigger rides while the younger ones did other things.

 Parker and me in front of the lego tree. You forget that everything is constructed from Legos. It's pretty amazing what they are able to create.

 They had an awesome snow park (better than Sea World's). Parker loved throwing snowballs at targets.

 Dave helping Jo go sledding for the first time.

 Whoa!

 Lego Santa. Ho ho ho! The only kid of Santa Parker got near this year.

  Lego San Francisco.

The second half of the day we drove up to Yorba Linda and spent it with the Lieber's. That post will come next. 

Austin at 9 months old

Hmmm... somebody found Santa's stash of presents in my closet! Busted!

 Austin went to the doctor today for his 9 month appointment. He is growing and thriving, as expected. We feel so lucky to have such a healthy little guy. He is 18 1/2 pounds, which has stayed pretty steady since he was 6 months old. Gaining mobility will do that to you. He loved checking himself out in the mirror.

Love my chunky, mini-me. It's so fun having a baby who looks so much like you. I could just squeeze him all day long. And the best part is, he usually lets me:)

Christmas magic

There is a family in Poway who laboriously decorate their home for Christmas and then it is open for the public to view. They have extensive lights, decor, and Santa photos. They've been doing this for years, and the extent of their decorations and their generosity of giving every child who attends a gift and free hot chocolate and time with Santa is above and beyond amazing. Parker was in heaven, though his excitement often got the best of him and I almost lost him about 100 times. Even still, it was a magical night with my boys. 

 Austin was in awe of all the lights. He didn't make a peep the whole time. Thank you baby Bjorn. It made carrying around Austin while chasing a two year old so much easier!

Christmas-time

We've really been enjoying the Christmas season so far. And though it's been chaotic and busy at times, everything we've done has been really meaningful. 

Austin has loved our Christmas tree and lights of every kind. 

 Parker has loved all the goodies. Here is his first "ginger house" creation!

 My confused little elf. His favorite movie (the only full length movie he's ever sat through) is "Elf." He thinks it's hilarious. After Buddy makes a mess of the department store and ends up in jail, Parker said, "Uh oh... he went to time out because he made a mess!"

 Children bring out the wonder and magic of Christmas. Parker loves his own tree in his room.

Thankful

I was driving home after doing a Target run with Austin. I was listening to our designated San Diego Christmas music station and the music was festive. They were doing a fundraiser that morning for a local children's hospital. The DJ came on and sounded somber. He said that the mood was grim in the hospital cafeteria. There had been a shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut and the death toll was up to 20 children, mostly in Kindergarten. Immediately, I felt nauseous and my eyes welled with tears. How could this happen? Why did this happen? What evil coward would dare ruin the lives of these children and their families and forever traumatize their classmates? It was a sad moment for me, as I heard the babble of my baby in the backseat. He had no idea of the incredible evil that exists in the world. He assumes at this moment that his needs will always be met and anyone he smiles at will smile back at him. I thought of Parker who feels safe going to school, playing innocently and living life everyday without a care or worry (besides the clowns in his dreams). I was sad to think that he will reach an age where he will hear of atrocities like this one and fear going to school. But it's not just at school, there is a battle between good and evil going on all around us. Homeschooling our kids is not the answer, staying out of shopping malls or movie theaters is not the answer. The answer is teaching our children to love and help others. It's about teaching our children that there is a God who loves us and will deliver us from all things. He is our ultimate protector. I am so impressed by the heroism of the teachers at that school. I am so in awe of the bravery of the children. And I know that though evil exists, good exists and will always win whenever we exercise our ability to love and respect our fellow man. I want to teach that to my children. And while I recognize that mental illness played a role in this tragedy, it does not excuse the act, or bring back the children who were taken from their families that day. My heart goes out to the families affected by this great tragedy. It seems like this is happening WAY too often these days.

While I will always do my best to protect my children, I am thankful to know that there is an ever present and loving God who loves them even more than I do. And He will usher those sweet children into his presence and give their families peace at this difficult time.

This blog serves as my journal and as a way to record my family's life. It's sad when there is an entry like this one. But I think when events like this happen in our world, it is a precious reminder of how fragile life is and how we need to appreciate our little ones and those around us. I feel like I often spend so much of my day telling Parker to do this or don't do that... when I should really be hugging on him and telling him how amazing he is. Or I get up in the middle of the night for the third time to feed Austin and my eyes are burning with exhaustion... but what a blessed reason to need to get up in the night. I need to remember that each day I have with them is a gift and I need to be thankful and present. I bet many of those families in CT wish their living room was a mess right now or that their child was complaining about eating all the vegetables on their plate. Because at least that was reminder that they were there. May I be more thankful. May I appreciate my children more. May I love a little harder.

To my sweet boys, I love you. 

Love, Mama